DRAWING NEAR
June 30
Sacrificial Faith on Display
"In the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by
works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by
another way? Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so
also faith without works is dead" (James 2:25-26).
It's understandable that James would use Abraham as an illustration
of living faith--especially to his predominately Jewish readers.
Rahab, however, is a different story. She was a Gentile, a
prostitute, a liar, and lived in the pagan city of Jericho. How could
such a person illustrate true faith?
Rahab knew very little about the true God but what she knew, she
believed, and what she believed, she acted on. She believed that God
had led His people out of Egypt and defeated the Amorite kings (Josh.
2:9-10). She openly confessed that the Lord "is God in heaven above
and on earth beneath" (v. 11). Her faith was vindicated when she
aided the Hebrew spies who entered Jericho just prior to Joshua's
invasion.
Both Abraham and Rahab valued their faith in God above all else. Both
were willing to sacrifice what mattered most to them: for Abraham it
was Isaac; for Rahab it was her own life. Their obedience in the face
of such great sacrifice proved the genuineness of their faith.
James calls each of us to examine ourselves to be sure we have a
living faith. The acid test is whether your faith produces obedience.
No matter what you claim, if righteousness doesn't characterize your
life, your faith is dead, not living. James likened that kind of
faith to hypocrites who offer pious words to the needy but refuse to
meet their needs; to demons, who believe the truth about God but are
eternally lost; and to a lifeless, useless corpse. Those are strong
analogies, but God does not want you to be deceived about the quality
of your own faith.
I pray that you are rejoicing in the confidence that your faith is
genuine. God bless you as you live each day in His wonderful grace.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask God for the grace and courage to face any sacrifice necessary as
you live out your faith.
For Further Study:
Read Joshua 2:1-24; 6:1-27; and Matthew 1:1-5.
How did Rahab protect the spies? How did God bless Rahab?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Joshua 2:1-24
2:1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to
spy secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So
they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged
there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have
come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the
country."
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men
who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come
to search out all the country."
4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, "Yes,
the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 "And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark,
that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them
quickly, for you may overtake them."
6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the
stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords.
And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the
gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
9 and said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given you the land,
that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants
of the land are fainthearted because of you.
10 "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea
for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings
of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11 "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither
did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the
LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
12 "Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have
shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's
house, and give me a true token,
13 "and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all
that they have, and deliver our lives from death."
14 So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you
tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given
us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you."
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her
house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.
16 And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers
meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned.
Afterward you may go your way."
17 So the men said to her: "We will be blameless of this oath of
yours which you have made us swear,
18 "unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of
scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless
you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your
father's household to your own home.
19 "So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house
into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be
guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be
on our head if a hand is laid on him.
20 "And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from
your oath which you made us swear."
21 Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent
them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the
window.
22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three
days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along
the way, but did not find them.
23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed
over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that
had befallen them.
24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the
land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country
are fainthearted because of us."
Joshua 6:1-27
6:1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of
Israel; none went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your
hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
3 "You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go
all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
4 "And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before
the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven
times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 "It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's
horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people
shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall
down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him."
6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them,
"Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven
trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD."
7 And he said to the people, "Proceed, and march around the city,
and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the LORD."
8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven
priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD
advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the
LORD followed them.
9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and
the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued
blowing the trumpets.
10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout
or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of
your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall
shout."
11 So he had the ark of the LORD circle the city, going around it
once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the
ark of the LORD.
13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before
the ark of the LORD went on continually and blew with the trumpets.
And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the
ark of the LORD, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned
to the camp. So they did six days.
15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early,
about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times
in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city
seven times.
16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the
trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the LORD has
given you the city!
17 "Now the city shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction, it and
all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who
are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we
sent.
18 "And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you
become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the
camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19 "But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are
consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the
LORD."
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it
happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the
people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then
the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and
they took the city.
21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and
woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the
sword.
22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country,
"Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and
all that she has, as you swore to her."
23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out
Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So
they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of
Israel.
24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only
the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put
into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and
all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she
hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man
before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall
lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall
set up its gates."
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all
the country.
Matthew 1:1-5
Mat 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,
the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and
his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and
Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot
Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot
Jesse.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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